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China’s Guangzhou Ousts Atlanta as Top Airport in Pandemic Year

Passengers walk through the departure hall at Baiyun International airport in Guangzhou, China, on Oct. 1, 2020.

Passengers walk through the departure hall at Baiyun International airport in Guangzhou, China, on Oct. 1, 2020.

Photographer: Chen Jimin/China News Service/Getty Images
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China’s Baiyun International airport in Guangzhou topped the list of the world’s busiest hubs in a coronavirus-wracked 2020, knocking Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International off a perch it occupied for more than two decades.

Baiyun moved up from 11th place, trade group Airports Council International said in a statement, capping a year when the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted global air travel. Hartsfield-Jackson slipped to second place, as hubs in six Chinese cities joined Beijing Capital International in the top 10 based on passenger traffic.